This moderately priced chardonnay is well worth a try. Lemon and lime notes pair with apple flavors to make an interesting, balanced chardonnay.

Good balance with a touch of oak. Bold, strong flavors. Grows on you.

This blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec is medium-bodied and simple but ripe in dark fruit with notes of blueberry, blackberry and vanilla.

Wines of the Week Fortress Winery is proud of its Sonoma heritage. Its terrain climbs up toward the ridges of the Mayacamas Mountains to the west. Knight’s Valley AVA borders the Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill and Calistoga regions. This rich and dark wine shows black fruits, earthy mineral and spice with highlights of blackberry and pomegranate. A lingering finish of firm tannins, vanilla and toasty oak complements meats from the grill or roasts from the oven.

Intense aromas, vibrant flavors, firm acidity and nice integration of oak all make for a wine that lures you back for a second taste. Swirl and inhale the perfume of blackberry, cherry, plum, brown baking spices and vanilla. In the mouth, tannins are soft and round. It’s a blend of 83 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot.

Big Bold Reds Delivers aromas of dark fruit, mocha and baking spices on the nose. The palate exhibits well-integrated tannins that complement the subtle earthy flavors of pomegranate, blackberry and sweet pipe tobacco. With a rich, opulent mouthfeel, Fortress is an approachable wine with a silky, lush finish.

You get a lot of wine for your money in this easy-drinking blend. Added to the cab for dimension are petit verdot, cabernet franc, syrah and merlot.

25 good California wines that you can get for $25 or less From a well-respected Sonoma winery, this cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blend lets the fruit shine through. It features 7 percent syrah and smaller proportions of petit verdot, malbec, cabernet franc and other grapes. A beautifully balanced wine, it’s restrained in style, giving up hints of crisp red fruit, orange and cranberry, followed by dusty tannins, big oak and chocolate.

Big and rich and smooth, with aromas and flavors of black raspberries and bittersweet chocolate.

Wines of the Week Winemaker Kristy Melton crafted this inaugural vintage of Sauvignon Blanc from Fortress Winery in Sonoma County. The wine was 33% barrel fermented in French oak with the balance in stainless steel. Look for elegant aromas of orchard blossom and white flowers mingling with lemony citrus and peach. The palate is crisp and medium bodied for food pairing or casual sipping.

What happens when a pinot noir guy gets his hands on some syrah? Well, just like with the pinots, you get elegance, purity and balance but not without ignoring the great intensity of cool-climate syrah. It's not like Mr. Brewer was a syrah novice: He made several excellent renditions when he was at Melville. Raspberry, dark plum, smoked meat, candied violets and some welcome florals on the nose. Dark fruit complexity on the palate with plenty of savory influences. Very supple, accessible and easy to drink, this bottle will disappear from your table in record time.

Wine+Food pairing recommendation

The American Syrah Report Greg Brewer is known for his Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but he also makes some great Syrah. His ’16 is delicious with lots of character. It’s full-bodied and vivacious, with dark fruits, violets, and cassis. The finish is strong with black pepper and chocolate notes.

Complex flavor profile, with nice, bright cherry fruit. Notes of leather, toasty oak and smoky bacon. Good length.

Controversial. Some said it has sexy aromas with juicy plum on the palate. Others thought it hot and over-ripe

Rich, fruity aroma; smooth and medium-bodied with herbal and chocolate flavors.

Shows sweet pinot fruit…inviting cherry fruit and a touch of earthy underbrush…

shows overt & inviting red fruit aromas immediately upon opening & its cherry fruit flavors, with just a trace of underbrush for complexity, are light but not simple, balanced but not big.

…pretty cherry and strawberry flavors with good acid levels and a velvety texture.

A good example of California Pinot Noirs, Edmeades' effort displayed rich, ripe black cherry flavors that could have been cloying if not for the solid backbone. It also showed undercurrents of smoke and licorice.

Relatively ripe in scent with a wee bit of jammy sweetness creeping into its highly oaked, cherry-like aromas, and the impressions of ripeness and rich oak figure prominently in this wine's open and fairly forward flavors.

To put it in technical winemaking terms, this Mendocino County product is one big mutha - big fruit, big oak, powerful sweet spices in the nose and mouth and a very long, lingering finish.

So robust that it's almost over the top. Full-bodied style, a bit hot from alcohol, with plenty of smoky oak. Tart black cherry aromas, flavors.

Ripe and rich with black cherry aromas and flavors. The fruit is succulent, the alcohol is noticeable but it comes together in the end.